Water closet construction



Oct. 3, 1944. H, F, WEAVER l 2,359,701

WATER CLOSET CONSTRUCTION Filed May 6, 1942 Patented Oct. 3, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.l

This invention relates to water closet assemblies including various co-operating details of the bowl and tank construction and connections therefor.

In the past, metal hasordinarily been used fork the couplings, conduit, connections and overflowfittings in connection with vitreous china sanitary ware in toilet accessories of the type disclosed herein.

The present invention is particularly intended to conserve metal, and at thesame time, to provide an improved construction which Willenable easier assembly of the device, and will so dispose the few metal elements, which may be used, that corrosion thereof is prevented. The construction therefore enables theruse, if desired, of otherwise corrosive metal in whatever small amounts may .be desirable. v

The present invention also provides a construction, which may, if desired, be made almost entirely f non-metallic material, such, for instance, as vitreous china. Also certain elementsmay be formed of plastics. Y f

It is also an object-to provide a coupling Vfor the conduit to the bowl or tank in which a thread# ed coupling nipplel or bushing may be rigidly afN fixed to a vitreous non-uniform or otherwise deformed annular outlet or inlet flange, to form a` packing gland, so that` the usual packing nut may be used to secure a conduit in sealed relation ship to the opening through said flange. The threaded bushing may be formed of any suitable material, such, for instance, as plastic, iron, brass, zinc or the like, and may be cemented to the bowl with any suitable cement which will resist water and acid.

A further object is the provision of a tank assembly including a tank. and overflow pipe, both formed of molded vitreous material or the like, and in which the cementing or otherwise securing together of the elements provides an integral structure having an unobstructed conduit from the overflow pipe to the tank outlet.

Further objects will be apparent from vthe specification and the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a closet and tank assembly, and illustrates one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the bowl coupling assembly shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the embodiment illustrated comprises a bowl I, which may be of the usual type, preferably of molded vitreous china sanitary ware, and is provided with a water inlet opening 2 having an integral outwardly extending annular flangev 3.

In the manufacture of thesebowl's, when the bowl comes from the mold in which it is cast, there is usually a solid clay projection or lug, and the material of this lug is then punched while the clay is soft to form the inlet hole 2 and the lat-1 erally extending annular flange 3. The hole may of course be punched to any required size. The flange 3 may extend outwardly any desired distance, preferably about 78 or 1/2 inchfrom the: body of the bowl. The clay bowl is then burned so that it is thoroughly set andhardened, and on account of the variation in shrinkage, the hole 2 in the bowl and the annular flange 3 may, after; burning, be slightly oblong or otherwise somewhat distorted. It is, therefore, impossible to snugly fit a coupling either in. the hole 2 or on the: frange 3.

In order to lprovide a properly sealed connection with the conduit leading to the tank, a bushing or nipple 4- is provided, and the internal di-y ameterfo-i this bushing is of sulncient size to telef scope freely over the flange 2 irrespective of any ordinary irregularities in the flange... The bushing is preferably externally threaded, as shown.

A layer of cement 5- is inserted between the bushing and the flangeI and a perfect sealed joint is therefore provided, and the bushing is held snugly in alignment against the outer surface of the bowl I. The outer surface of the flange 3 is provided with one or more depression-s 6, and projectionson the bushing 4, which may be in the form of pins 'I inserted through complementary' openings in the bushing, extend into the depression 6., as illustrated, and are retained snugly in place by means of the cement layer 5. The pins:A

'I are for the :purpose of resisting any turning' stress applied tothe bushing. i

A conduit 8*-, which may be of the usual elbow type, is preferably made of plastic material, andk one end is telescoped through a packing nut 9 and into the bushing 4, so that the endof the conduitl rests snugly against the end of the flange 3. I

A suitable packing I-'U is inserted betweenthe packing nut 9 and the bushing 4, and the packing nut is snugly threaded on the bushing in the usual packing box manner to provide a Sealed slip joint between the bushing and conduit.

A tank ilI is also formedof vitreous molded material and is' provided with side walls I2 and a bottomwall I3. A restricted depression I4 is formed in the bottom wall to provide a shallow' chamber |51. The chamber |15 is preferably rec-y tangular although it may be circular or any other suitable contour. The tank is provided with an outlet IIy having an outwardly extending annular flange II, which latter is formed in the same manner and may be substantially identical with the annular flange 3V and inlet .2 of the bowl I",

A bush-ing or nipple- I is secured to the flange I-'I by rmeansofv alayer of cement Ibetween the nipple and flange, in exactly `the same manner as previously described. A packing nut 20 is threaded on the bushing I8 and provides a sealed connection with the conduit 6 by means of packing 2|.

It will be apparent that the fittings for the tank and bowl may be interchangeable and are applied in the same manner in either location.

The annular ange I'I is also provided with one or more external depressions 22 in which pins 23 may be inserted through the bushing I8 in the same manner as previously described for the bowl bushing 4. The side walls ofthe restricted chamber I5, formed by the depression in the bottom wall of the tank, are preferably angularly chamfered as shown at 24. An overflow pipe 25 is also formed of molded vitreous material, or it may be of plastic, and is provided at its lower end with a flange 26. The edges of this flange are angularly formed to fit the chamfered portion 24 of the tank, and the flange is secured in the depressed portion of the tank to form a sealed cover for the restricted chamber I in the manner illustrated.

The parts for the tank may be made and assembled as follows: The tank I2, the overflow pipe 25, and the flange 26 may each be molded as a separate unit, as indicated'by the dotted lines 24 and 24a, and, while the material is still soft but sufciently hard to be handled, the joint edges are coated with the same vitreous material as used in the molded parts. The parts are then assembled as shown and, if desired, a fillet also of the same vitreous material may be applied as at 24h. The flange 26 may, of course be molded integrally with the overflow pipe, if desired. The assembled tank is then burned and becomes an integral structure in which the joints are at least as hard and strong as any other portion. A completely integral structure is, therefore, provided with a continuous conduit from the overflow pipe to the outlet.

The flange 26 is provided with a valve seat opening 21 preferably in alignment with the tank outlet I1, and this valve seat opening may be spherically ground to Vprovide a suitable valve seat, or it may be provided with a spherical valve seat lining 28, which lining may be of metal, plastic, or other suitable material and may be cemented into the flange 26, asv shown. The molded overflow pipe 25 is provided with an integral laterally extending arm 29, and the outer end of this arm is provided with a guide hole 30 through which the guide rod 3| of a ball valve 32 extends. This construction provides an integral tank including a casing and overow pipe of molded vitreous material, and the restricted chamber I5 provides an overflow conduit communicating with the overflow pipe and the outlet opening I6.

As previously stated, the conduit or elbow 8 is preferably made of plastic or vitreous material,

and, therefore, the entire conduit from the tankto the bowl, including the overflow pipe, may be of non-corrosive material, and the small amount of metal used for the couplings may be of any suitable material. It will, of course, be understood that the coupling members may also be of suitable non-metallic material, if desired.

It is intended, of course, that the invention should not be limited to the specific embodiment or embodiments disclosed herein, since modifications may be made, and it is contemplated, therefore, by the appended claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

. `said bowl inlet each including an outwardly extending integral annular flange of vitreous molded material, an externally threaded bushing telescoped over each flange and cemented thereto, a

conduit having an end telescoped into each bushing, a packing nut threaded onto each bushing, and clamping an annular packing in sealing relation between said nut and said bushing and said conduit.

2. In a molded vitreous chinaware water closet bowl having an inlet Ahole for water from a tank conduit and an annular outwardly extending flange of vitreous molded material around said hole, and a threaded bushing telescoped over and cemented to said flange and overhanging the outer end of said flange to receive a conduit in said overhanging end, said bushing being adapted to receive a packing nut thereon to seal said conduit in said bushing.

3. In a molded vitreous chinaware water closet bowl having an inlet hole for water from a tank conduit and an annular outwardly extending flange around said hole, said flange having one or more depressions in its outer annular surface, an externally threaded bushing telescoped on said flange with a layer of cement therebetween, and one or more projections on said bushing, each projection extending into a corresponding depression to resist turning stress applied to said bushing.

4. A water closet coupling construction comprising a vitreous molded bowl having a conduit inlet, an integral rough cast outwardly extending flange of vitreous molded material around said opening, an externally threaded bushing loosely telescoped over said flange, and a layer of cement filling the interstices between said flange and bushing and cementing said bushing rigidly to said flange.

5. A water closet coupling construction comprising a vitreous molded bowl having a conduit inlet, an integralY rough cast outwardly extending flange of vitreous molded material around said opening, an externally threaded bushing loosely telescoped over said flange, and a layer of cement filling the interstices between said flange and bushing and cementing said bushing rigidly to said flange, a conduit in said bushing and abutting the end of said flange, and a packing nut threaded on said bushing and adapted to retain said packing in sealing relation between said bushing, said nut, and said conduit.

6. A water closet coupling construction comprising a vitreous molded receptacle having a conduit passage, an integral rough cast outwardly-extending flange of molded vitreous material around said passage, an externally-threaded bushing loosely telescoped over said flange, a layer of cement filling the interstices between said flange and bushing and cementing said bushing rigidly to said flange, a conduit in said bushing, and a packing nut threaded on said bushing and adapted to retain said packing in sealing relation between said bushing, said nut and sai-d conduit.

' HARRY F. WEAVER. 

